The World

XXI –This is the last of the Major Arcana series in the Tarot. When the World – or Universe – card appears in the lay right side up, it represents the end of the cycle. The saying for the card is “dancing on your limitations.” It is the completion of or the overcoming of whatever you are working on.

This card represents the end of the cycle; it is now time to move on. The World/Universe card tells us that you have come to that place where you are able to take advantage of all that is offered. Once we are aware of our situation and learn to work within our limits to make the most of it we are using the World/Universe energy. However, it is my experience that when a client has the Universe in his or her reading they are often ready to move on to something else, even if this is not always clear to the client.

Often the client may not realize it unconsciously but on a conscious level they are attempting to find out what is wrong or what it is that they need in their life. The World/Universe card shows that you have conquered that situation and know how to make it work for you; and now there is a need to expand and grow into something different.

The World/Universe is depicted as a woman who looks like a Venus in the middle of a streamer or a vine. It is within this Vine that she thrives. On the outside of that vine image we see the four elements again emphasizing the fact that she has to use those elements within her sphere or circle to succeed.

When reversed, the card’s meaning is even better. This now marks the beginning of something new and different. The saying for this reversed position is “taking the opportunity to do something that you have never done before.” This can be a new job or situation, or it can be on a more subtle level the opportunity to break a personal pattern and behave or respond in a way that is not our typical response. It is an opportunity to break our own limitations. So the World/Universe card is good in a reading whether upright or reversed.

One can use the World/Universe card for meditation. The focus could be on either working better within limitations or to break personal patterns that might be destructive, or at the very least cause obstacles and hindrances. It can also help you to get to that place at the end of the cycle where you can move on to the next cycle. This card can be used to overcome things that have been holding us back from completing projects or from evolving and growing as people. Through the World/Universe card we can learn to let go and move on, perhaps even try seeing things from a new perspective or even an entirely new direction.